This festive vegan and gluten free Chocolate Peppermint Cake is the perfect show-stopping holiday dessert! With three rich chocolate layers studded with crunchy candy canes and a two-tone peppermint buttercream, every bite is absolutely delicious. It's easier to make than it looks, and nobody will ever know it's vegan and gluten free!
This post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. All opinions are our own.
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🍰 Why We Love This Recipe
- Showstopper: This cake looks as good as it tastes, with an ombre red and white frosting, three even layers, a candy cane striped filling, buttercream swirls and crushed candy canes. A bakery-style masterpiece made in your own kitchen!
- Rich and chocolatey: We use dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso for a rich chocolate flavor that perfectly balances the sweet frosting.
- Holiday flavor: We incorporate crushed candy canes and peppermint extract into the batter to provide a festive holiday flavor in every bite.
- Vegan and gluten free: we love that this chocolate peppermint cake is suitable for just about any dietary restrictions. We had several taste testers tell us that they would never know it's vegan and gluten free. Even the pickiest eaters will enjoy this one!
🍫 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this chocolate peppermint cake:
📋 Ingredient Notes
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour: Let's face it – gluten free baking is tough. Without gluten, baked goods can lack body and structure, becoming dry and crumbly. There are ways to overcome this problem, like adding xanthan gum or flax eggs, but this takes extra time or requires another run to the grocery store for special, hard-to-find ingredients. Lucky for us, Bob's Red Mill solved this problem with their 1-to-1 baking flour. It's a mixture of gluten free flours, starches, and xanthan gum, which makes it super easy to transform traditional cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins and pancakes into amazing gluten free creations! We use it in pretty much every single one of our recipes, so we've found that it works well across the board. You can purchase Bob's Red Mill products at thousands of stores across the country, or order online for easy and convenient delivery. Now's a good time to stock up in preparation for holiday baking!
- One more thing: this flour is not recommended for recipes that that use yeast. If you're baking yeasted breads or something like a cinnamon roll, opt for Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.
- Peppermint extract: You should be able to find this at your grocery store in the baking area near vanilla extract, especially during the holiday season.
- Applesauce: it may seem strange, but applesauce acts as a perfect egg replacement in this vegan chocolate peppermint cake. Opt for unsweetened if you can.
- Espresso: a small amount of espresso really enhances the flavor of the chocolate in this cake. If you don't have access to freshly brewed espresso, you can substitute with instant espresso powder.
- Cocoa powder: you can use either natural cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder in this recipe, although we typically prefer Dutch process as it has a more intense flavor.
- Maple syrup: you can substitute with another liquid sweetener of choice, like agave.
- Chocolate: we typically use semisweet or dark chocolate, anywhere between 60-80% in this chocolate peppermint cake. You can use chocolate chips or a bar (be sure to chop well before melting).
- Candy canes: technically they are optional in this recipe, but we love the added crunch when folded into the cake batter!
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Grease three 8" cake pans and lightly dust with cocoa powder or line with round parchment paper sheets.
(1) In a large mixing bowl, stir together gluten free flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
(2) Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Add in vanilla and peppermint extract. Add applesauce and maple syrup and continue mixing. (Note: the mixture may look separated but this is common with vegan butter – it will come back together when you add dry mixture).
(3) Stir espresso into oat milk. Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals and set aside.
(4) Alternate adding dry mixture and oat milk mixture into wet ingredients, mixing on medium-low until fully incorporated. Add in melted chocolate and mix until smooth.
(5) Using a spatula, stir in crushed candy canes.
(6) Divide batter between the three cake pans (about 710g/9oz of cake batter per pan if using a scale) and smooth with a spatula.
(7) Bake for 32-34 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
(8) Add softened butter to a stand mixer and cream at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Slowly add in the powdered sugar, mixing well between each addition, until frosting is stiff, but still light.
Add in vanilla and peppermint extract, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Beat on medium-high for 10-20 seconds. If it's too stiff, add in another 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
Transfer about ⅓ of the buttercream into a separate bowl and stir in red food coloring. Leave the other ⅔ white.
(9) To create striped interior, pipe white and red frosting in a concentric circle on top of the bottom and second layer.
(10) Frost the cake with a crumb coat of white frosting. Add a few dollops of red and white frosting around the sides of the cake, then use a cake scraper to smooth it out to create a watercolor effect.
(11) For the red and white peppermint swirls on top, pipe white and red frosting next to each other on a piece of plastic wrap. Roll it up gently, then transfer to piping bag with a swirl piping tip. Pipe on to top of cake, then garnish with crushed candy canes.
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the cake batter for perfectly even cake tiers. We got about 710g or 9 oz. of batter in each cake pan, but if your numbers end up slightly different, that's fine! All that matters is that each cake has an equal amount of batter.
- To prevent your cake from tilting/sliding around, use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake.
- Don't forget to soften your butter to room temperature before using in both the cake and the buttercream! This is essential so that the butter can incorporate with the other ingredients.
- When mixing the wet mixture for the cake batter, the applesauce/butter/maple syrup may look separated. This is common when you mix vegan butter and applesauce, so don't worry! It will come back together once you start adding in the dry ingredients.
- If you are not gluten free, you can sub gluten free flour with Bob's Red Mill Unbleached All Purpose Flour. We tested it both ways and it worked perfectly!
- For best results, we suggest chilling the cake layers in the refrigerator for a few hours (or even overnight) before frosting. The colder the cake, the easier the frosting will go on.
- Storage: Since this cake doesn't contain any dairy products, it stores well covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, although I personally prefer it chilled, so I like to store in the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before enjoying.
If you forget to soften your vegan butter ahead of time, unwrap and heat in the microwave in 5 second intervals until softened to the touch. Be careful not to melt it – it should only take a few seconds to get to the right softness.
For those using a stand mixer: use the paddle attachment while making the vegan chocolate peppermint cake batter and the whisk attachment while making the frosting.
Yes! You can freeze the entire frosted cake, or just the individual layers of chocolate cake without frosting. Freeze for 2-3 hours, then wrap in 2 layers of plastic wrap before returning to freezer. Use within 3 months.
🍽 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Cake (Vegan)
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This festive vegan and gluten free Chocolate Peppermint Cake is the perfect show-stopping holiday dessert! With three rich chocolate layers studded with crunchy candy canes and a two-tone peppermint buttercream, every bite is absolutely delicious. It's easier to make than it looks, and nobody will ever know it's vegan and gluten free!
Ingredients
Chocolate Peppermint Cake:
- ¾ cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) maple syrup, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup oat milk (or other nondairy milk)
- 1 ½ ounces freshly brewed espresso (or 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder)
- 2 ¼ cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 1 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup melted chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed candy canes, divided
Peppermint Buttercream*:
- 2 cups vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 3-4 tablespoon nondairy milk
- Optional: a few drops of red food coloring
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C. Grease three 8" cake pans and lightly dust with cocoa powder or line with round parchment paper sheets.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together gluten free flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Add in vanilla and peppermint extract. Add applesauce and maple syrup and continue mixing. (Note: the mixture may look separated but this is common with vegan butter – it will come back together when you add dry mixture).
- Stir espresso into oat milk. Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals and set aside.
- Alternate adding dry mixture and oat milk mixture into wet ingredients, mixing on medium-low until fully incorporated. Add in melted chocolate and mix until smooth. Using a spatula, stir in crushed candy canes.
- Divide batter between the three cake pans (about 710g/9oz of cake batter per pan if using a scale) and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 32-34 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream and assembly:
- Add softened butter to a stand mixer and cream at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Slowly add in the powdered sugar, mixing well between each addition, until frosting is stiff, but still light.
- Add in vanilla and peppermint extract, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Beat on medium-high for 10-20 seconds. If it's too stiff, add in another 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
- Transfer about ⅓ of the buttercream into a separate bowl and stir in red food coloring. Leave the other ⅔ white.
- To create striped interior, pipe white and red frosting in a concentric circle on top of the bottom and second layer.
- Frost the cake with a crumb coat of white frosting. Add a few dollops of red and white frosting around the sides of the cake, then use a cake scraper to smooth it out to create a watercolor effect.
- For the red and white peppermint swirls on top, pipe white and red frosting next to each other on a piece of plastic wrap. Roll it up gently, then transfer to piping bag with a swirl piping tip. Pipe on to top of cake, then garnish with crushed candy canes.
Notes
*The amount of buttercream in this recipe may seem like a lot, but it ends up being just enough for the filling between layers, the exterior and piping swirls on top. If you would prefer to use less, you can go for more of a naked cake look.
To prevent your cake from tilting/sliding around, use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake.
If you are not gluten free, you can sub gluten free flour with Bob's Red Mill Unbleached All Purpose Flour. We tested it both ways and it worked perfectly!
For best results, we suggest chilling the cake layers in the refrigerator for a few hours (or even overnight) before frosting. The colder the cake, the easier the frosting will go on.
Storage: store at room temperature for 3-5 days, or in refrigerator for up to a week.
Cocoa powder: you can use either natural cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder in this recipe.
Maple syrup: you can substitute with another liquid sweetener of choice, like agave.
Chocolate: we typically use semisweet or dark chocolate, anywhere between 60-80% in this chocolate peppermint cake. You can use chocolate chips or a bar (be sure to chop well before melting).
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 525
- Sugar: 57.1 g
- Sodium: 282 mg
- Fat: 26.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 64.1 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
Keywords: chocolate peppermint cake, vegan chocolate peppermint cake
That Linda
I made this frosting … outstanding!! Smooth, decadent and minty delicious. Didn’t miss the real butter one bit. I managed to do the ombré effect, too. Thank you for the inspiration!!
★★★★★